Practical lessons are part and parcel of every science subject. This is because the UNEB examinations have a practical paper for each of the science subjects except Math.
This is why almost every school has fully-stocked science and computer laboratories for all teachers to conduct their practical lessons from. It has been reported that students usually perform better in practical papers than theory, even in cases of students who aren’t good in those subjects. Purposes of practical lessons include;
1. Clarifying what students learnt theoretically
So many students fail to understand stuff that’s taught to them in class, but that doesn’t say anything about their own intelligence. Probable reasons for that include;
- Some students have a slower learning process
- Failure to understand the language used by teachers
- Some teachers don’t know how to explain concepts vividly
This, therefore, necessitates practical lessons because that’s the most effective way that students learn through interaction with the things they were taught in class.
2. Enabling students to learn by doing
Students are different, especially in terms of what works best for them and what method makes it easier for them to learn faster. However, doing is one of the best ways that students can get to learn anything faster, because;
- The brains learn better if you try to implement what you know
- It’s easier to memorize what you do, than what you read
- The students find it easier to remember what they have done
Therefore, students always need and deserve a chance to interact with all these equipment so they can learn a lot faster than they would have, theoretically.
3. Makes them remember what they learnt
Remembering is quite hard, since students have a lot of things to read and memorize. Some of the methods they use include;
- Summarization
- Cramming
- Interacting with images associated to what they’ve learnt
However, actually interacting with the things they always read in books makes them stand a better chance to remember what they have learnt quite vividly.
4. Makes learners innovative
Usually, all scientific findings are realized through experimenting, and nobody experiments on paper.
Also, students have high creativity levels if properly fostered. Therefore, interacting with different equipment makes one’s mind open to possibilities of change, thus fostering their creativity and innovativeness.
5. Encourages group/ team work
Usually in practical lessons, teachers tell students to work in groups on certain projects. This is usually because some schools create that policy in order to use less of the lab equipment. This makes students learn to work in groups because;
- They discuss everything they learn
- Students learn to ask for help, and to help others
- They think out loud, thus promoting open argument among themselves
Of course, team work is irrelevant in UNEB exams, but it can help students teach one another and consult in groups, all leading to academic excellence.
6. Prepares students for practical exams
In a few schools, students are taught all practical stuff in a theoretic manner. This is because some schools have limited capital to avail these equipment for every single practical lesson.
Now, practical exams are compulsory for every school in final exams, and that’s why students that have attended a fair share of practical classes usually perform better.
7. Gives the students a positive attitude towards the subject
There are many cases of students that didn’t like a certain subject, but started to love it after they attended practical lessons.
This is exactly why even some students who underperform in these subjects, usually perform relatively better in the practical exams to uplift their general performance.
8. Teachers can explain a lot in just one sitting
Most times, teachers fail to cover a lot due to the fact that some students understand quite slowly. However, practical lessons are more effective, thus enabling teachers to improve their coverage in just one sitting.
Conclusion;
Even though so many schools have allocated time and resources for practical lessons in every applicable subject, many are still lagging behind. That’s partly because some schools have no money to buy the equipment necessary to make it happen, thus rendering practical lessons unachievable.
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